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Robertson takes over as Christian Coalition president

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson has reassumed the presidency of the political organization after spending several years as a senior adviser, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The post became vacant when Don Hodel, a former Reagan administration Cabinet secretary, left to pursue other interests.

Robertson angered some conservative leaders, including Hodel, when he said last month that President Clinton had won the public relations battle and the Senate should end the impeachment trial.

Hodel said he had been planning to leave the coalition for months and that his departure had nothing to do with Robertson's remarks. Coalition spokeswoman Molly Clatworthy said Robertson had already assumed the duties of the presidency.

Hodel and former Rep. Randy Tate, R-Wash., took over the coalition in 1997, replacing strategist Ralph Reed, who had helped Robertson build the grass-roots organization into a national force.

Robertson founded the coalition in 1989 after a failed 1988 presidential campaign. He served as president while Reed worked as executive director.

The coalition is in the midst of efforts to defend its past political activities. The Federal Election Commission has sued the coalition, accusing it of illegally spending thousands of dollars to promote Republican candidates.